FREWSBURG GIRLS’ & PANAMA BOYS’ BASKETBALL TEAMS WIN STATE TITLES
Two Section VI basketball teams return to the classroom as New York State Champions. The Frewsburg girls' and the Panama boys' basketball teams both went down state over the weekend and brought back state championships to Western New York.
On Friday night at Hudson Valley Community College, the Frewsburg Bears girls team took down Section I’s Stillwater, 59-44 in the Class C State Title game.
The Bears came out of the gate flying, with a 15-7 lead after the first eight minutes thanks in part to a nine-point first quarter from senior guard Teghan Trocki. The younger Trocki, sophomore Jadyn, began to dial in during the second quarter, as Frewsburg kept pace over Stillwater, leading 30-20 at halftime. Out of the locker room, the Bears kept their foot on the gas pedal, as they had done all season. With starting-caliber players up and down their bench, Frewsburg maintained their lead, up eleven points heading into the final frame. Jadyn Trocki scored eight of her game-high eighteen points in the fourth quarter, leading the Bears to the Class C State Championship, 59-44 the final score.
On Saturday, you could hear folks humming the Van Halen hit from across the state in Binghamton as the Panama Panthers took down Section XI’s Bridgehampton 78-69 to win the boys Class D crown.
A high-tempo first quarter saw the Killer Bees from Bridgehampton take a four point lead, before Panama responded with seven straight to end the frame with a 15-12 advantage. That stretch of great ball from the Panthers continued into what would become a 22-3 run by the middle of the second quarter, giving Panama a sizable lead at 37-15. Senior Carter Brink’s fifteen first half points led all scorers, with classmates Alex Barmore and Bryce Hinsdale each adding nine points for Panama, who led 41-22 at the break. Out of halftime, Panama was evenly matched through the third quarter, but it looked as though victory was on its way for the Panthers, who led 63-41 with just eight minutes left to play. Brink had already notched thirty points after three quarters, including fifteen in that third frame. Four of the five starters for Panama were on that CSP football team this fall that won the State Title, so there was very little belief that the Panthers would drop a game with a twenty-two point lead in the final frame, but the Bees put up quite the fight. Jai Feaster of Bridgehampton, who would end the game with a team-high 31 points, sparked a comeback attempt to bring it close, with the Killer Bees outscoring Panama 28-15 in the fourth, but that explosive second quarter for the Panthers was just enough to secure the win, 78-69 final.
CORNFIELD SETS RECORD AS UB WOMEN’S HOOPS ADVANCES TO WNIT SUPER 16
ESPN’s win probability calculator gave the Buffalo Bulls women’s hoops team a 0.8% chance to win, trailing UMass 63-47 with 8:00 left in the WNIT Second Round matchup yesterday afternoon. However, UB fought back, led by Gowanda native Noelani Cornfield, to tie the game and send it to overtime, knotted at 74. In the extra five-minute frame, the Bulls outscored the Minutewomen 10-8 to win the game 84-82, and advance to the Super 16 of the WNIT.
Cornfield set a WNIT record with a career high fifteen assists, on route to surpassing 500 career dimes. The 5th year point guard led the comeback effort on defense as well, as part of the 2-2-1 three-quarter court trap that aided Buffalo to the comeback that sent Alumni Arena into a frenzy. 5th year shooting guard Chellia Watson was on the receiving end of most of those Cornfield assists, dropping in a game-high twenty-six points, reaching a milestone of her own: Watson notched her 2,000th career point in the fourth quarter.
With the win, Buffalo keeps their season alive and heads west for the Super 16 of the WNIT, set to take on the University of Southern Indiana on Thursday evening.
LEW-PORT ALUM RODDY GAYLE JR. LEADS MICHIGAN MEN TO SWEET 16
While there may not have been any out-of-this-world upsets in the NCAA Men’s Tournament in the first two rounds, there have been a host of terrific basketball games and standout solo efforts across the board. One of the most impressive individual performances I saw over the weekend was Niagara Falls native Roddy Gayle Jr. in Michigan’s Round of 32 victory over Texas A&M.
The Wolverines, who won the Big10 Conference Tournament, were a team heavily selected to bet against in the first round. As a 5 seed, Michigan drew 12 seed UC San Diego, who came into the Tournament on the longest winning streak in America. Gayle came off the bench for the maize and blue on Thursday, which has become customary for the Ohio State transfer. In his 27 minutes of action in the First Round, Gayle contributed 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists to Michigan’s 68-65 victory over the Tritons.
On Saturday evening, the junior guard has his best game all season against 4th-seeded Texas A&M in the Round of 32. In a tightly contested game where no lead was ever larger than 12 points, the Wolverines turned to Roddy Gayle off the bench, who hit clutch shots from the field and free throw line down the stretch to help send Michigan to the Sweet 16. The once Lew-Port Lancer had a season-best 26 points in 30 minutes of gametime, shooting 50% from the field and going a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe. At one point in the second half, Michigan was down by 10, their largest deficit all game, when Gayle went on a 12-0 run himself to flip the script. Roddy scored 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half.
Gayle and the Michigan Wolverines take on top-seeded Auburn in the Sweet 16, with the potential for a rivalry matchup in the Elite 8. If Michigan pulls off the upset, and 2nd seeded Michigan State takes care of business against 6th seed Ole Miss, we’ll have a classic Michigan-v-Michigan State meeting to close the weekend.
Tip-off between Michigan and Auburn in the Sweet 16 is set for Friday night at 9:30 in Atlanta.
SABRES DEFEAT TOP RANKED WINNIPEG ON THE ROAD
The Buffalo Sabres are still not mathematically eliminated from the postseason, after they picked up a road win over the top team in the Western Conference, defeating Winnipeg 5-3 on Sunday afternoon.
Sure, the Jets gave a rest day to their MVP goalie Connor Hellebuyck, but still, the Sabres got four goals past their former backup Eric Comrie, despite getting heavily outshot. Final shots on goal were 36-17 in favor of Winnipeg, making James Reimer’s 33 save performance that much more worthy of the first star of the game. Buffalo got offensive contributions from JJ Peterka, Rasmus Dahlin, Tyson Kozak, and Alex Tuch, with an empty net insurance marker from Ryan McLeod. The win closes out the Sabres four-game mood-swing road trip with a 2-2 record, after defeating the Bruins in overtime, losing in horrendous fashion at Utah and Minnesota, before yesterday’s applaudable victory.
The Sabres, still sitting 13 points back of Montreal for the final playoff spot, have 13 games remaining in the regular season. No game is more important for Buffalo to win than the next one, which could mean a little more for the vibes in the locker room, as Dylan Cozens and the Ottawa Senators come to town tomorrow night for a 7PM puck drop at KeyBank Center. Josh Norris, who Buffalo acquired in exchange for Cozens, has been out of the Sabres lineup with an injury for the last five games.
BANDITS SPLIT BACK-TO-BACK OVER THE WEEKEND
The Buffalo Bandits won their home game over Las Vegas on Friday, 13-10, before falling 11-10 in overtime on Saturday night in Albany.
The Bandits’ first tally on Friday was rookie Lukas Nielsen’s first of his professional career. That ignited an unbelievable first quarter for Buffalo, who led 8-1 after the opening fifteen minutes. The first-placed Bandits took a commanding 11-2 lead by halftime over the last placed Desert Dogs. As time went on, however, it began to feel as though Buffalo was saving energy for their back-to-back effort to come on Saturday on the road, allowing a comeback attempt from Las Vegas in the fourth quarter. Five straight goals in the final 11 minutes were just enough to keep fans in their seats till the final horn sounded, signaling a three-goal Buffalo victory.
The Bandits took to the I-90 East for their second matchup this season with the team they defeated in the Championship last season. Buffalo got the best of Albany back in early February, with a 16-10 win in Banditland. On Saturday, the FireWolves got their revenge, thanks in part to a defensive clinic put on in the third quarter. With a 6-4 lead at halftime, the Bandits suffered three unanswered third quarter tallies, giving Albany the 7-6 lead entering the fourth. Back and forth they went, until Buffalo finally tied the game at 10 with under two minutes left in regulation. Into overtime they went, where the FireWolves scored just under seven minutes into the extra period, winning the game 11-10.
Buffalo, still atop the league standings with an 11-3 record, look to add to their unblemished record following a loss this season when they host 7-7 Vancouver on Saturday night.
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